Abstract

This article investigated the therapeutic effects of immature Dendritic Cells (imDC) expressing modified interleukin-10 (IL-10) in a mouse model of Crohn's disease and the possible underlying mechanisms. Forty mice were randomly divided into control group, imDC- treatment group (imDC group), LacZ gene-modified imDC treatment group (LacZ-imDC group) and IL-10 gene-modified imDC treatment group (IL-10-imDC group). The DAI scores of the imDC group, LacZ-imDC group, and IL-10-imDC group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the DAI score of the IL-10-imDC group was markedly reduced compared to those of the imDC and LacZ-imDC groups (P<0.05). Similarly, the TDI scores of the imDC group, LacZ-imDC group, and IL-10-imDC group were significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). In particular, the TDI score of the IL-10- imDC group was significantly lower than those of the imDC and LacZ-imDC groups (P<0.05). The percentages of splenic Treg cells in the imDC, LacZ-imDC, and IL-10-imDC groups were significantly higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The percentage of Treg cells in the IL-10-imDC group was also markedly higher than those in the imDC and LacZ-imDC groups (P<0.05). In conclusion, when successfully transfected into imDC, IL-10 can inhibits the process of DC maturation. Infusion of this IL-10-imDC can significantly alleviate the progress of Crohn's disease compared with imDC without IL-10 modification, and the mechanism of action may be associated with the upregulation of Treg cells.